Community Foundation Great River Bend

QC Chamber of Commerce

Paul Rumler is the President & CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber, since April 2018. He was recruited back to the Quad Cities after being in Michigan for two years as the Grand Rapids Chamber’s Chief Strategy Officer. He had been with the Quad Cities Chamber and preceding organizations since 2006, serving in roles ranging from talent attraction and retention, community development, public policy, and economic development. In 2015, he was recognized as a “40 Under 40 Leader in Economic Development” Development Counsellors International.

Previous to his 12 years in Chambers of Commerce, Paul worked in legislative/government affairs in the Massachusetts State Senate and U.S. Congress. Paul is originally from the Quad Cities.

Interstate 74 Bridge

George Ryan is the corridor manager for the $1.2 billion construction of the new river bridges and reconstruction of Interstate 74 in Bettendorf and Moline. Prior to joining Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, he performed multiple roles for the Illinois Department of Transportation during a 34-year career. His expertise includes facilitating communication and cooperation in the design, construction, and maintenance areas while achieving and preserving the best highway system possible within available resources. He has been involved in the preliminary design, design and construction of numerous major projects. One such example was overseeing all phases of the largest down state roadway reconstruction ever undertaken in Illinois, the $500 million reconstruction of Interstate 74 through downtown Peoria, Illinois.

Chief Economist, Deere & Company World Headquarters

-Late grandfather Robert Carlson was a rotary member in Moline, IL – I attended a few meetings with him as a young boy

-I graduated from the Univ of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2009 with a degree in political science and philosophy

-Graduated from Univ of Iowa in 2015 with an MBA

-Worked at John Deere for 6 ½ years, been in the economics function for 3 ½ years. Current job title: Economist, focused on analyzing the agricultural economies of Central & South America and forecasting equipment demand.

Meet @ Figge

Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw, was crowned Miss Iowa 2018 in June of 2018.

Mikhayla was born and raised in the Quad Cities, and graduated from Rock Island High School in Rock Island, Illinois in 2015.

Mikhayla, 21, is majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Iowa, working toward a career in broadcast journalism. She is a mental health and suicide awareness advocate. As someone who previously battled depression and suicidal thoughts, Mikhayla’s campaign “How About H.O.P.E. – Helping Others & Providing Encouragement” inspires change in our mental health culture through sharing personal stories and encouraging compassion.

Nahant Marsh

Brian Ritter is the Executive Director of Nahant Marsh and the Program Director for Conservation Technology through the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) and the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC). He teaches EICC courses on site and uses Nahant preserve as an outdoor classroom. He also teaches a course at Saint Ambrose University. Brian has overseen operations at Nahant Marsh since 2007 and has begun and sustained many environmental education programs, biological research projects, and natural resource management practices. His hobbies include hiking, paddling, organic gardening, cooking, camping, and fishing.